Kleis Bozhanaj

Kleis Bozhanaj
Personal information
Date of birth (2001-03-01) 1 March 2001
Place of birth Tirana, Albania
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s)
Team information
Current team
 Reggiana
(on loan from Modena)
Number 10
Youth career
2011–2012 Ali Demi
2012–2014 Dinamo Tirana
2014–2016 Partizani
2016–2017 Internacional Tirana
2017–2021 Empoli
2020 → Napoli (loan)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2021–2023 Spezia 0 (0)
2021–2022 → Casa Pia (loan) 2 (0)
2022 → Carrarese (loan) 16 (2)
2023 Carrarese 2 (0)
2023– Modena 48 (5)
2023 → Carrarese (loan) 16 (3)
2025–2026 → Carrarese (loan) 12 (0)
2026– → Reggiana (loan) 1 (0)
International career‡
2017 Albania U17 6 (5)
2019 Albania U19 4 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 20 January 2026
‡ National team caps and goals as of 16 November 2019

Kleis Bozhanaj (Albanian pronunciation: [ˈklɛis bɔzaˈnaj]; born 1 March 2001) is an Albanian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder or forward for Italian Serie B club Reggiana on loan from Modena.

Bozhanaj began his football development in Albania, progressing through the youth systems of Ali Demi, Dinamo Tirana, Partizani and Internacional Tirana before moving to Italy in 2017 to join Empoli's academy. During his time with Empoli, he continued his development and in 2020 spent a brief loan spell with Napoli, gaining experience within a top-level Italian club environment.

In 2021, Bozhanaj signed for Spezia, although he did not make a senior appearance for the club. He subsequently gained regular playing time through loan spells in Portugal and Italy, joining Casa Pia in the 2021–22 season and Carrarese in 2022, where he established himself as a first-team player and contributed goals from midfield. After a short permanent stint with Carrarese in 2023, he moved to Modena later the same year, becoming part of the club’s Serie B squad.

While under contract with Modena, Bozhanaj returned to Carrarese on loan in 2023 and again during the 2025–26 season, continuing to accumulate senior experience. In 2026, he joined Reggiana on loan, competing in Serie B.

At international level, Bozhanaj has represented Albania in youth categories. He played for the under-17 national team in 2017, scoring five goals in six appearances, and later represented the under-19 team in 2019.

Club career

Early career

Born in Tirana, Bozhanaj began his youth football in 2011 with local side Ali Demi, before joining Dinamo Tirana in 2012, remaining until 2014, after which he moved to Partizani to stay until 2016, before later joining Internacional Tirana.[1]

In Summer 2017 Bozhanaj joined the youth academy of Italian Serie A side Empoli; he was initially registered with the club’s under-17 side.[2]

In the second-half of the 2019–20 season, Bozhanaj was sent on loan to the youth academy of Napoli, another Serie A club.[3]

On 31 August 2021 he signed for another Serie A side Spezia a 3 years deal; he was immediately sent on loan to Portuguese second division club Casa Pia.[4]

On 10 October 2021, Bozhanaj made his debut for Casa Pia appearing as a late substitute during the 2021–22 Liga Portugal 2 matchday 8 against Mafra, which ended in a 1–1 draw.[5] Six days later, Bozhanaj again appeared for Casa Pia in the 2021–22 Taça de Portugal against Valadares Gaia, which ended in a 3–1 win.[6] On 15 January 2022, Bozhanaj made his third and final appearance of the season for Casa Pia in a league match against Académico Viseu, which ended in a 1–0 defeat.[7]

Carrarese and Modena

On 13 July 2022, Bozhanaj moved on loan to Carrarese.[8] On 4 September 2022, Bozhanaj made his debut for Carrarese during the opening match of the 2022–23 Serie C away against Cesena, coming on as a substitute in the 60th minute and scoring the winning goal in the 80th minute of a 2–1 victory.[9] During the first half of the season, Bozhanaj was mainly used as a substitute, making only two starts.[10] On 20 November 2022, Bozhanaj scored the only goal late in a 1–0 win against Olbia in round 14 of the 2022–23 Serie C, coming on as a substitute around the half-hour mark.[11]

On 5 January 2023, his loan move was made permanent.[12] 20 days later, he signed for Serie B club Modena, but returned on loan to Carrarese until the end of the season.[13] In the mid-season, Bozhanaj established himself as a regular starter in Central midfield, playing significant amount of minutes, and early in this period, he provided an assist and received four consecutive yellow cards, but then the squad went unbeaten in 13 matches, including eight victories, with Bozhanaj scoring three consecutive goals throughout the spring.[10] Bozhanaj made a total of 33 appearances as Carrarese was ranked fourth in the table and qualified for the group play-offs first round.[14] Bozhanaj featured for 71 minutes in the play-off match against Ancona, which ended in a 1–0 defeat, resulting in Carrarese’s elimination and their retention in Serie C.[15]

Following his loan spell, Bozhanaj returned to Modena; however, at the start of the 2023–24 season he was sidelined by injury and missed the early matchday squads while completing post-injury physical recovery programmes, particularly during September.[16][17][18] On 21 October 2023, following his recovery from injury, Bozhanaj made his debut for Modena, coming on as a substitute in the 73rd minute during the 2023–24 Serie B round 10 away match against Bari, shortly after Bari had taken the lead; he was cautioned in the 78th minute as Modena later equalised to draw the match 1–1.[19] Two weeks later, Bozhanaj scored his first goal after again coming on as a substitute in the 73rd minute during Modena’s away match against Catanzaro, where he was cautioned again in the 79th minute before scoring the winning goal in stoppage time (90+4′), securing a 2–1 victory.[20][21]

During the first phase of the season Bozhanaj was regularly introduced as a second-half substitute, while in the second phase he often remained on the bench without making an appearance.[22] On 2 December 2023, Bozhanaj scored the winning goal in Modena’s 2–1 victory over Reggiana in the Emilian derby, after coming on as a substitute in the 64th minute with the score level at 1–1 and netted the decisive goal six minutes later, marking his second goal of the season.[23] Following a managerial change in mid-April, with an appointment of Pierpaolo Bisoli as head coach, Bozhanaj began featuring regularly for Modena and was named in the starting lineup in the final two weeks of the season.[24] On 10 May 2024, in the final matchday of the championship, Bozhanaj played the full 90 minutes under Bisoli and scored his third goal of the season in a 3–2 away win against Lecco, a result that allowed Modena to narrowly avoid the relegation zone.[25][26] This goal was selected as the best goal of the last round.[27]

Bozhanaj began the 2024–25 Serie B season on 17 August 2024 as a starter and with a goal against Südtirol, scoring in the first half to level the match at 1–1, but later was substituted off around 30 minutes before the end as Modena ultimately lost 2–1.[28] Following that match Bozhanaj was briefly relegated to the bench, making only short substitute appearances, before returning to the starting lineup after a few weeks, where he featured regularly and provided two assists.[29] After the appointment of coach Paolo Mandelli in early November, Bozhanaj was frequently named among the substitutes but remained on the bench often without making an appearance.[22] On 26 December 2024, Bozhanaj scored a late equaliser in a 3–3 away draw against Brescia.[30]

On 14 July 2025, Bozhanaj returned to Carrarese on loan, with an option to buy.[31] In the first half of the 2025–26 Serie B season, Bozhanaj initially featured more regularly in the starting lineup, but in the latter part of the period, his involvement decreased, with multiple matches spent as an unused substitute, before departing the club in January 2026.[22]

Loan to Reggiana

On 15 January 2026, Bozhanaj moved on loan to Reggiana, with an option to buy, remaining in the Serie B.[32] He made his debut two days later, coming on as a substitute in the final 12 minutes of a 2–1 home defeat to Cesena in the matchday 20.[33]

International career

Bozhanaj represented Albania U17 and U19 at youth international level, making three appearances for the U17 side, scoring three goals, and later featuring for the U19 team in both friendly and UEFA European Championship qualification matches.[34][35] In September 2017, Bozhanaj took part in the friendly tournament Kazakhstan President Cup for U17, scoring twice in a 4–1 victory over Kyrgyzstan.[36] The following month, he played in the 2018 UEFA European Under-17 Championship qualification, scoring a hat-trick in a 5–0 win against Liechtenstein, concluding the qualifying tournament with a win.[37]

Career statistics

As of match played 20 January 2026[22]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup League cup Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Casa Pia 2021–22 Liga Portugal 2 2 0 1 0 — — — 3 0
Carrarese 2022–23 Serie C 33 4 1 0 — — 1 0 35 4
2025–26 Serie B 12 0 1 0 — — — 13 0
Total 45 4 2 0 — — 1 0 48 4
Modena 2023–24 Serie B 21 3 — — — — 21 3
2024–25 Serie B 27 2 1 0 — — — 28 2
Total 48 5 1 0 — — — 49 5
Reggiana (loan) 2025–26 Serie B 1 0 — — — — 1 0
Career total 96 9 4 0 — — 1 0 101 9

References

  1. ^ Kleis Bozhanaj at the Albanian Football Association (in Albanian and English)
  2. ^ "Empoli FC U17 » Transfers 2017–18". WorldFootball.net. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  3. ^ "Sognando Kakà, Kleis Bozhanaj il talento dell'Empoli che il Napoli si è lasciato sfuggire" [Kleis Bozhanaj, the Empoli youth player Napoli let slip away]. Calcio Napoli 1926. 7 July 2021. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  4. ^ "KLEIS BOZHANAJ È UN NUOVO CALCIATORE DELLO SPEZIA" (Press release) (in Italian). Spezia. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  5. ^ "MAF 1-1 CAS | Mafra v Casa Pia live scores & match info". Soccerway. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  6. ^ "VAL 1-3 CAS | Valadares Gaia v Casa Pia live scores & match info". Soccerway. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  7. ^ "CAS 0-1 ACA | Casa Pia v Académico Viseu live scores & match info". Soccerway. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  8. ^ "Bozhanaj In Maglia Azzurra" [Bozhanaj in the Azzurri shirt] (Press release) (in Italian). Carrarese Calcio 1908. 13 July 2022. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
  9. ^ "Serie C Girone B » Cesena FC against Carrarese Calcio » Lineup". WorldFootball.net. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  10. ^ a b "Kleis Bozhanaj – Club Matches & Statistics 2022/23". WorldFootball.net. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  11. ^ "Serie C Girone B » Carrarese Calcio against Olbia Calcio » Lineup". WorldFootball.net. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  12. ^ "Bozhanaj azzurro al 100%" (Press release) (in Italian). Carrarese Calcio 1908. 5 January 2023. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
  13. ^ "CALCIOMERCATO: BOZHANAJ È DEL MODENA" [TRANSFER MARKET: BOZHANAJ IS OF MODENA]. modenacalcio.com (in Italian). 25 January 2023. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
  14. ^ "Serie C – Group B 2022/23 standings". Soccerway. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  15. ^ "Carrarese 0–1 Ancona live scores & match info". Soccerway. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  16. ^ "Avversari Cosenza: sono 24 i convocati di Bianco" [Opponents Cosenza: Bianco names 24 players] (in Italian). TifoCosenza. 28 August 2023. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  17. ^ "Allenamenti: Guiebre e Riccio nazionali" [Training: Guiebre and Riccio called up by national teams] (in Italian). Modena FC. 5 September 2023. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  18. ^ "Sudtirol-Modena: i convocati di Bianco" [Sudtirol–Modena: Bianco names his squad] (in Italian). Modena FC. 25 September 2023. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  19. ^ "Bari v Modena live scores & match info". Soccerway. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  20. ^ "Serie B » US Catanzaro against Modena FC » Lineup". WorldFootball.net. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  21. ^ "Bozhanaj: Una dedica per tutti" [Bozhanaj: A dedication for everyone] (in Italian). Modena FC. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  22. ^ a b c d Kleis Bozhanaj at Soccerway
  23. ^ "Eurogol në derbi, Kleis Bozhanaj dhuron "show" në Itali" [Euro-goal in the derby: Kleis Bozhanaj shines in Italy] (in Albanian). Top Channel. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  24. ^ "Kleis Bozhanaj » Statistics: Club Matches 2023–24". WorldFootball.net. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  25. ^ "Il maog albanese" (in Italian). Modena FC. 10 May 2024. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  26. ^ "Serie B » Calcio Lecco 1912 against Modena FC » Match report". WorldFootball.net. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  27. ^ "Modena FC: Kleis Bozhanaj – la rete realizzata a Lecco vale il "best goal" della 38ª giornata di Serie B" (in Italian). Parlando di Sport. 15 May 2024. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  28. ^ "Südtirol - Modena live scores & match info". Soccerway. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  29. ^ "Kleis Bozhanaj – Club Matches & Statistics 2024/25". WorldFootball.net. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  30. ^ "Brescia–Modena 3–3: Bozhanaj la riprende all'ultimo" [Brescia–Modena 3–3: Bozhanaj rescues a point at the death] (in Italian). Modena FC. 26 December 2024. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  31. ^ "Bentornato Kleis Bozhanaj" [Welcome back Kleis Bozhanaj] (in Italian). Carrarese Calcio 1908. 14 July 2025. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
  32. ^ "Il centrocampista Kleis Bozhanaj veste la maglia della Reggiana" [Midfielder Kleis Bozhanaj wears the Reggiana jersey] (in Italian). AC Reggiana 1919. 15 January 2026. Retrieved 15 January 2026.
  33. ^ "Serie B » AC Reggiana 1919 against Cesena FC » Lineup". WorldFootball.net. Retrieved 22 January 2026.
  34. ^ "Kleis Bozhanaj – International Matches". WorldFootball.net. Retrieved 22 January 2026.
  35. ^ Kleis Bozhanaj at BeSoccer
  36. ^ "Kazakistan President Cup 2017, Shqipëria merr fitoren e parë, mund Kirgistanin" (in Albanian). FSHF. 7 September 2017. Retrieved 22 January 2026.
  37. ^ "Shqipëria U-17 e mbyll me fitore të thellë turneun e zhvilluar në vendin tonë" (in Albanian). FSHF. 25 October 2017. Retrieved 22 January 2026.
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